diff --git a/narwhals/_arrow/series.py b/narwhals/_arrow/series.py
index 35f4e210d8..621cb9ea11 100644
--- a/narwhals/_arrow/series.py
+++ b/narwhals/_arrow/series.py
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 )
 from narwhals._compliant import EagerSeries
 from narwhals._expression_parsing import ExprKind
+from narwhals._typing_compat import assert_never
 from narwhals._utils import (
     Implementation,
     generate_temporary_column_name,
@@ -564,8 +565,8 @@ def is_between(
             ge = pc.greater_equal(self.native, lower_bound)
             le = pc.less_equal(self.native, upper_bound)
             res = pc.and_kleene(ge, le)
-        else:  # pragma: no cover
-            raise AssertionError
+        else:
+            assert_never(closed)
         return self._with_native(res)
 
     def is_null(self) -> Self:
diff --git a/narwhals/_compliant/dataframe.py b/narwhals/_compliant/dataframe.py
index 1e2537de71..bc8a3442b8 100644
--- a/narwhals/_compliant/dataframe.py
+++ b/narwhals/_compliant/dataframe.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
     ToNarwhals,
     ToNarwhalsT_co,
 )
-from narwhals._typing_compat import deprecated
+from narwhals._typing_compat import assert_never, deprecated
 from narwhals._utils import (
     Version,
     _StoresNative,
@@ -479,9 +479,8 @@ def __getitem__(  # noqa: C901, PLR0912
                 compliant = self._select_multi_name(columns.native)
             elif is_sequence_like(columns):
                 compliant = self._select_multi_name(columns)
-            else:  # pragma: no cover
-                msg = f"Unreachable code, got unexpected type: {type(columns)}"
-                raise AssertionError(msg)
+            else:
+                assert_never(columns)
 
         if not is_slice_none(rows):
             if isinstance(rows, int):
@@ -492,8 +491,7 @@ def __getitem__(  # noqa: C901, PLR0912
                 compliant = compliant._gather(rows.native)
             elif is_sized_multi_index_selector(rows):
                 compliant = compliant._gather(rows)
-            else:  # pragma: no cover
-                msg = f"Unreachable code, got unexpected type: {type(rows)}"
-                raise AssertionError(msg)
+            else:
+                assert_never(rows)
 
         return compliant
diff --git a/narwhals/_compliant/series.py b/narwhals/_compliant/series.py
index 0e90885939..b5f192b04c 100644
--- a/narwhals/_compliant/series.py
+++ b/narwhals/_compliant/series.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
     NativeSeriesT_co,
 )
 from narwhals._translate import FromIterable, FromNative, NumpyConvertible, ToNarwhals
+from narwhals._typing_compat import assert_never
 from narwhals._utils import (
     _StoresCompliant,
     _StoresNative,
@@ -330,9 +331,8 @@ def __getitem__(self, item: MultiIndexSelector[Self]) -> Self:
             return self._gather(item.native)
         elif is_sized_multi_index_selector(item):
             return self._gather(item)
-        else:  # pragma: no cover
-            msg = f"Unreachable code, got unexpected type: {type(item)}"
-            raise AssertionError(msg)
+        else:
+            assert_never(item)
 
     @property
     def str(self) -> EagerSeriesStringNamespace[Self, NativeSeriesT]: ...
diff --git a/narwhals/_pandas_like/series.py b/narwhals/_pandas_like/series.py
index ebb0906c74..1d8ec2160e 100644
--- a/narwhals/_pandas_like/series.py
+++ b/narwhals/_pandas_like/series.py
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
     select_columns_by_name,
     set_index,
 )
+from narwhals._typing_compat import assert_never
 from narwhals._utils import (
     Implementation,
     is_list_of,
@@ -375,8 +376,8 @@ def is_between(
             res = ser.gt(lower_bound) & ser.lt(upper_bound)
         elif closed == "both":
             res = ser.ge(lower_bound) & ser.le(upper_bound)
-        else:  # pragma: no cover
-            raise AssertionError
+        else:
+            assert_never(closed)
         return self._with_native(res).alias(ser.name)
 
     def is_in(self, other: Any) -> Self:
diff --git a/narwhals/_typing_compat.py b/narwhals/_typing_compat.py
index 56c1fb6096..ebf3dc16ec 100644
--- a/narwhals/_typing_compat.py
+++ b/narwhals/_typing_compat.py
@@ -33,6 +33,11 @@
     else:
         from typing_extensions import TypeVar, deprecated
 
+    if sys.version_info >= (3, 11):
+        from typing import Never, assert_never
+    else:
+        from typing_extensions import Never, assert_never
+
     _Fn = TypeVar("_Fn", bound=Callable[..., Any])
 
 
@@ -65,9 +70,24 @@ def wrapper(func: _Fn, /) -> _Fn:
 
             return wrapper
 
+    _ASSERT_NEVER_REPR_MAX_LENGTH = 100
+    _BUG_URL = (
+        "https://github.com/narwhals-dev/narwhals/issues/new?template=bug_report.yml"
+    )
+
+    def assert_never(arg: Never, /) -> Never:
+        value = repr(arg)
+        if len(value) > _ASSERT_NEVER_REPR_MAX_LENGTH:
+            value = value[:_ASSERT_NEVER_REPR_MAX_LENGTH] + "..."
+        msg = (
+            f"Expected code to be unreachable, but got: {value}.\n"
+            f"Please report an issue at {_BUG_URL}"
+        )
+        raise AssertionError(msg)
+
     # TODO @dangotbanned: Remove after dropping `3.8` (#2084)
     # - https://github.com/narwhals-dev/narwhals/pull/2064#discussion_r1965921386
     from typing import Protocol as Protocol38
 
 
-__all__ = ["Protocol38", "TypeVar", "deprecated"]
+__all__ = ["Protocol38", "TypeVar", "assert_never", "deprecated"]
diff --git a/narwhals/stable/v1/__init__.py b/narwhals/stable/v1/__init__.py
index 706b5e64f5..4877e958a1 100644
--- a/narwhals/stable/v1/__init__.py
+++ b/narwhals/stable/v1/__init__.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 import narwhals as nw
 from narwhals import exceptions, functions as nw_f
-from narwhals._typing_compat import TypeVar
+from narwhals._typing_compat import TypeVar, assert_never
 from narwhals._utils import (
     Implementation,
     Version,
@@ -482,8 +482,7 @@ def _stableify(
         return Series(obj._compliant_series._with_version(Version.V1), level=obj._level)
     if isinstance(obj, NwExpr):
         return Expr(obj._to_compliant_expr, obj._metadata)
-    msg = f"Expected DataFrame, LazyFrame, Series, or Expr, got: {type(obj)}"  # pragma: no cover
-    raise AssertionError(msg)
+    assert_never(obj)
 
 
 @overload
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index fc7f4f409d..6c8daafa58 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -285,6 +285,7 @@ exclude_also = [
   'if "pyspark" in str\(constructor',
   'if "pyspark_connect" in str\(constructor',
   'pytest.skip\(',
+  'assert_never\(',
 ]
 
 [tool.mypy]
diff --git a/tests/typing_compat_test.py b/tests/typing_compat_test.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ffb026e8dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/typing_compat_test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+"""Ensuring backports/extensions to new `typing` features are understood correctly."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import re
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Literal
+
+import pytest
+
+from narwhals._typing_compat import assert_never
+
+
+def test_assert_never() -> None:
+    pattern = re.compile(
+        r"expected.+unreachable.+got.+'a'.+report.+issue.+github.+narwhals",
+        re.DOTALL | re.IGNORECASE,
+    )
+    some: Literal["a"] = "a"
+    if some != "a":
+        assigned = "b"
+        assert_never(assigned)
+    else:
+        assigned = some
+    if not TYPE_CHECKING:
+        # NOTE: Trying to avoid the assert influencing narrowing
+        assert assigned == "a"
+    with pytest.raises(AssertionError, match=pattern):
+        assert_never(assigned)  # type: ignore[arg-type]